little bro's new tat

I usually don't get too excited about tattoos.  I don't think I'll ever find anything that I'd want to have drawn on my body forever.  My little brother loves them.  For Christmas his lovely wife treated him to his newest one, which I actually like a lot.  It's our Grandfather's two-seater airplane.  Both of us have spent many hours in that little plane and have tons of great memories of Grandpa Deke and "November 555 Delta Kilo, clear for take off".  I dig it, so I stole this picture from him.  I only wish it were in color...but I'm guessing a rainbow colored airplane (the eagle feathers on the wings are rainbow colored and the body of the plane is white...it's pretty cool) on your arm might suggest the wrong thing.  

Here he is holding a picture of it on Christmas day.

He's so happy!  He also looks strikingly like Grandpa Deke.

Sunday Jan 17

What originally began as me filling in for an employee has turned into me returning to weekend-warrior-barrista-duty at Chucktown Coffee, and I am more than happy to oblige.  I forgot how much fun making coffee and small talk was.  This has also launched me back into a full fledged caffeine addiction, which I'm not fighting in the least.  I started my morning off with this beauty (if I do say so myself).

sugar-free mocha with extra foam and cocoa on top -

not unlike the one Kim made me yesterday

(I'm addicted)

Today I met a dog named Jack.  He has a "usual"- whipped cream in a coffee cup lid.  I'm not sure how good this is for Jack, but who am I to talk?  Ahem - with the raging sweet-tooth that I've developed recently...

At noon I went over to the IOP Recreation Department to work the volleyball games.  This is about the easiest job in the world.  I push buttons and make the score board light up.  Occasionally, to the great annoyance of everyone in the gym, I get to make the buzzer go off.  This is my 3rd job by the way.  I only do it once a week for about 4 hours, but I'm pretty amazed at the fact that I have 3 obligations on top of full-time schooling.  I am wonder woman.

A seriously fun weekend vacay is in the works.  More on that when things become more concrete.

I really haven't done much cooking lately since I've only been cooking for one, but tonight I made faux spaghetti.  I'm calling it "faux spaghetti" because I make it with a spaghetti squash instead of noodles.  Don't knock it til' you try it.  It's delicious, and super easy.

Chop 1 spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the guts and place flat sides down on a baking sheet.  Cook in 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes (until softish when pressed with the back of a spoon) Let cool for a minute then rake with a fork (squash should come apart in strings that resemble spaghetti). That's it.  Now you have healthy noodles that you can put your favorite spaghetti sauce on.

I make my sauce because I'm a sauce snob.  It's super-easy too.

1 can whole tomatoes mostly drained of liquid and blended to desired consistency.  (I like mine to be a little chunky as opposed to pureed.)

1 onion diced

mushrooms - as many as you want

tblsp each of garlic salt, basil, parsley, and oregano

pepper to taste (and more salt if you want)

Saute the onions and shrooms until soft then add blended tomatoes and spices.  Cook on low setting without lid (to steam off excess liquid) until spaghetti squash is done.  Easy peesy.

I'm going to try to make at least one semi-exciting meal each week.  Cooking is one of my most favorite things to do - right behind eating.  I'm also reading Julia Child's "My Life in France".  It's definitely inspired me to get back in the kitchen, and also to enjoy life.  (you should read it.)  I feel like I've been eating all day and I'm still hungry.  What is wrong with me?  I think I'll go read until I fall asleep.

Hope you had a great weekend!

have a great weekend!

The first week of school has been a success!  Yay!  It feels awesome to be a student again.  I can't describe how exciting it is for me to finally have a "plan" and be in route to make it happen.  I feel like anything is possible right now.  I know that might sound stupid to some people, but I'm finally discovering who I am and what my passions are.

A few months ago someone asked me what I liked to do for fun and I couldn't answer them.  I couldn't think of a single thing that I enjoyed doing.  Now I can make a list and it grows everyday.  In the last two weeks I've come to accept and like myself for who I am, and in turn my outlook on people in general has changed drastically.  I can talk to complete strangers without feeling anxious or awkward; something I have never been able to do before.  I used to shy away from challenges or situations that made me uncomfortable and that has held me back in the past.  Now I can accept the difficult things in life and work hard to power through them, instead of letting them stand in my way.

I know I sound like a complete dork, but I really feel fortunate to be alive and to be able to experience all  that life has to offer.  Life really is what you make it.  No one else can do it for you.

Have a great weekend!    

life is a highway...

Ha!  That's such a corny title.

I just moved into a new house that is really close to highway 526, but it makes for a pretty awesome picture.  I will attempt a better one (with a different lens) on a day when the temperature makes it above 25 degrees.  I still think this one is pretty cool.

Christmas Parade 09

This is old news for some of you, but Sunrise Children's School, (the preschool where I work as an assistant teacher) participates in the Mt Pleasant Christmas Parade every December.  Michele Quick and her husband, Chad, take it upon themselves to build the float and our Pre-K  class gets to ride in it and wave and throw candy to onlookers, which is so much fun!  


Michele and Chad take this very seriously and have built Sunrise a winning float for the past 5 years (I think).  This year we were a pair of hot chocolate mugs.  The children sat inside the mugs as marshmallows wearing white shirts and stocking caps.  They even rigged a fog machine to look like steam was coming out of each cup.  The kids also made candy canes, snowflakes and gingerbread men to decorate the outside of the mugs.  Needless to say we won again this year!


Below are some pictures that our director's husband, Andrew, took of the parade. 

January 10

Today I decided to change the name of this blog to "Ashley Makes Pictures".  Ansel Adams said, "You don't take a picture; you make it" and that's what I do.  I make pictures, but sometimes I just want to record my day and the little things that make me happy.  "Ashley Denney Photography" was starting to sound to formal and was making me feel pressured to produce nothing but pristine images, and thats just not who I am ALL THE TIME.

Don't read me wrong, I love a pretty, well-thought-out picture, but life isn't always like that.  I want this blog to be a reflection of ME as well as an example of what I can do with my camera when I really put my mind to it.  So while this will still be a "portfolio" site, I also want it to be a means for me to focus on the little things that make me excited about life.

In the spirit of little things I love in life (and to get my naughty eating habits completely out of my system before going back on my good-girl-diet) I decided to go with my gut (literally) and order two slices of take-out veggie pizza from La Pizzaria and a 22oz Stone IPA for dinner tonight!  Oh, and as I type this I'm topping it all of with a heaping bowl of Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.  Hooray for gluttony!  Ok I really need to stop being so proud of stuffing myself full of bad things.  Tomorrow I'm back on the no sugar, no carbs eating plan...don't judge me.  It's the weekend, and I go back to school tomorrow...I deserve it, right?

  

Christmas 09

Alright, this is long overdue (sorry Denise).  I got back from Virginia on the 29th and have not stopped moving since!  Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying being super-busy.  I think I thrive when I have very little free time.  It has kept me from doing any photo taking or editing though, and that has got to change!

These are pictures from Christmas at Stu (my brother) and Denise's apartment.  No, I didn't take the time to edit them much so they still have shadows and whatnot.  I really need a mouse to do that kind of stuff.  It's downright frustrating to try to use the touchpad on my macbook.

the spread

Baboos

dad

Denise

(hostest with the mostest)

this is what Stu thought of me playing Paparazzi

cacahuetes!

he was so excited about his new sunglasses...

mom wearing the free hat that came with the sunglasses

yummmmm sock monkey

oh, the Holman family Christmas photo...

You'd think after 26 years of practice we could get this right...not so much.

The dogs are all over the place, mom's not looking, half of us are out of focus...haha

Merry Christmas!

Thanks Stuart and Denise for hosting!

so much love

I have received so much love and good fortune in the past week I can hardly believe it.

Thank you to my family, friends, lovely coworkers, past employers, and kind strangers who have allowed me to regain a sense of who I am in just a few short days.  I feel like I've been disconnected from the world for a very long time and this week has been a strange and wonderful experience for me.  

My heart is still heavy but it's also full of hope.

let me take your picture fool!

Ok, so I'm sick of taking pictures of trees.  I need a person, or multiple persons, who live in Charleston or don't mind driving here to pose for me.  Feel free to pick the location, or I can suggest some.  Come on people; at the very least you'll get a stellar facebook photo out of it!  Shoot me an email, or call if you're one of the privaleged few who have my cell number.  Thanks!

my nephew

His name is Baboos.  He enjoys bounding through the house and up and down the stairs, chewing on water bottles hidden inside sock monkeys, and sleeping on legs so you can't move in the middle of the night.  I want to kiss his face.

Stuart and Denise...I'm going to kidnap your pooch.

Hello 2010

2009 was a weird year.  I found a hobby that I am extremely passionate about.  I reached an incredibly high point of self worth and personal achievement, followed almost immediately by the incredibly low point which I am currently in.  The concept of the new year being a clean slate isn't something I ever really bought into.  A new year doesn't mark a new beginning in our lives.  It doesn't erase mistakes we've made or undo wrongs we've done.  It just means that it's January 1st again.  I do believe that it's a good time to reevaluate and make a conscious effort to better ourselves in the short term.  It's a good time to answer the question "Where do I want to be a year from now?"  My problem is I've never been able to answer that question, until now.  I actually have a new year's resolution that I intend to keep this year.  

A year from now I want to be happy.

I have an idea where to start, but it's going to take a lot of work.